Sea lion that flopped ashore is euthanized

WILDLIFE

Na'au sits in a rescue carrier on her way to the Marine Mammal Center after being found at Knightsen Elementary School in Oakley on Saturday.

Na'au sits in a rescue carrier on her way to the Marine Mammal Center after being found at Knightsen Elementary School in Oakley on Saturday.

Photo: Marine Mammal Center

Photo: Marine Mammal Center

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Na'au sits in a rescue carrier on her way to the Marine Mammal Center after being found at Knightsen Elementary School in Oakley on Saturday.

Na'au sits in a rescue carrier on her way to the Marine Mammal Center after being found at Knightsen Elementary School in Oakley on Saturday.

Photo: Marine Mammal Center

Sea lion that flopped ashore is euthanized

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A wayward sea lion captured a mile from water in the East Bay over the weekend was euthanized Tuesday after doctors determined it suffered from a disease that caused brain deterioration and made it impossible for the mammal to navigate.

The 5-year-old California sea lion, a female named Na'au by her caretakers at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, would not have survived long in the wild or in captivity, said Jim Oswald, communications director at the center.

"We can't send an animal into the wild and expect her to have a normal life knowing that she'd have seizures out there and die," Oswald said. "At the end of the day, it's all about making the difficult decisions and choosing a humane response."

Na'au's neurological condition, called chronic domoic acid poisoning, attracted the attention of a researcher from Stanford University who extracted brain tissue samples during the hour-long necropsy, Oswald said.

"Her condition will help us learn more about how this disease affects mammals," Oswald said. "And it'll shed some light on similar medical issues that humans face."

The tan-colored sea lion was first discovered on shore in Santa Cruz in May, resurfaced at another spot in Santa Cruz in July, then again Saturday in Oakley. An electroencephalogram revealed Na'au had suffered several seizures, and during her latest stay at the center she continually weaved her head from side to side, a symptom of the disease, Oswald said.

Sea lions contract domoic acid poisoning by eating fish larded with toxic algae. Of the 614 California sea lions treated at the center this year, Oswald said, 50 have been diagnosed with some form of the disease.

Oswald said Na'au would not have done well in a zoo or aquarium, where she would have required 24-hour care and supervision. Even in shallow waters a seizure could have caused her to drown. Her unpredictable moods would have made her untrainable and a danger to her keepers.